Chapter 52
Promptly at 3:30 Martin pulled the Lexus up to the school gate, and Louisa, who'd been watching for him from the doorway scurried across the playground and flopped into the passenger seat. "Oh Martin, thank you for this! It would have been awful walking home in it!" She leaned across and kissed his cheek.
"Erm, yes." He looked at her, with all the love he felt for her glowing in his eyes. In no time at all he was parking outside the surgery. Getting out he ran around the car, opening the door so that she could get inside quickly. He soon joined her in the kitchen where she expressed her gratitude in a more emphatic way.
"Do you want some tea or do you have to get back to your patients?"
"I'd better get back. I expect there'll have been some rumblings at being kept waiting." He bent down and kissed her again. "Worth it though," he smiled.
Louisa made herself a drink and sat down on the couch. She pulled her bag to her side and began looking at the remains of the marking she'd started earlier. Her eyes closed and she slipped sideways on the couch, falling almost instantly asleep. An hour later she awoke with a start, realising guiltily, she hadn't done a thing about tea. She set to and made some cod mornay, with steamed veg. They would have soup to begin with, she decided.
Martin finished in the surgery and went back to the kitchen. He watched as Louisa stirred something on the stove. Her movements, as ever, seemed to mesmerise him. "Louisa," he quietly announced his presence.
She jumped a little and said, "You startled me! Come on in, tea will be about 5 minutes.
"I'll go and wash up then, and be down shortly." He disappeared upstairs before re-appearing in time to sit down to his soup.
"Carrot and coriander," she informed him, before he'd even had a chance to ask. "Followed by cod mornay with steamed veg. If you want anything after that it will be fruit."
He took a sip of the hot soup and was pleasantly surprised. It was rich and creamy.
"Thank you, Louisa. That was a treat coming in for that meal," he complimented her.
She smiled at him, "You nearly didn't get it. I fell asleep and I only just had enough time to do it!"
He looked concerned. "Are you finding it too much? Should I get someone in to do the meals/housework?"
"Thank you, but no, Martin. It's just now and then when I feel I need to sleep, after school. Today was one of those days. The children didn't go outside to play and so we had to organise things for them to do, instead."
He still looked concerned but limited himself to ushering her to the couch while he made a cup of tea and washed the dishes up. They sat talking until their tea was gone and then Martin announced he was going to look at his clock.
Louisa smiled and said, "I'll finish the marking I set out to do, earlier."
She pulled her bag over and re-commenced her work. After half an hour she got up to go to the toilet when she felt a funny sensation in her abdomen. She was at first surprised but dismissed it as wind. She went up to the bathroom and after a few minutes went back down. Looking at her watch she saw she would have time to read a few chapters of her book before their suppertime drinks.
She heard Martin finishing up, so got up and began to make their drinks. As he came into the kitchen she looked up and began to step towards him. Her face changed and she clutched her abdomen. "Martin!"
"What is it, Louisa? Are you alright? Is it the baby?" the questions rattled out of him as he looked at her, concern writ large all over his face.
She beamed at him, "I felt it move! Martin, I felt our baby, move!" she reached for his hand and placed it over the place she'd felt the movement. He couldn't feel anything at all and was disappointed.
"What did it feel like? Are you sure it was a movement and not just wind or something?"
"No, I'm sure. I felt it earlier and dismissed it as wind, but this was exactly the same. I'm sure it was Junior moving."
She smiled up at him, glowing in the experience.
"Tell me what it felt like," he asked.
"I'm not sure you'll like this," she said. Louisa took hold of his hand and turned it over so the back of it was uppermost. Then she raked it gently with her fingernails.
His eyes widened in surprise. "Really? Junior raked you like that?"
"That's what it felt like, to me. I'd expected to be kicked, because that's what I'd heard other mums-to-be saying when their babies began to move. It's very disconcerting, Martin."
"Hm, I've never heard of anything like that, either."
Louisa made the drinks and they sat on the couch talking about the event which had just happened. "I didn't think I'd feel anything until the end of the month. I am surprised by this."
Martin thought about how many weeks pregnant she was and said, "It is a little early to be feeling anything, Louisa."
"Are you saying you don't believe me? I can assure you that what I felt was exactly as I described to you. Of course, I can't swear that the baby actually raked me with its own nails, just that that, was what it seemed like, to me."
Martin looked at her, "if that is what you felt, then I'm sure Junior moved. You may continue to feel movements, but I won't be able to feel them because the baby is still too small," he explained. He looked disappointed at this, but knew that it wouldn't be too long before even he could feel it kick.
Louisa kept her hand across her abdomen but didn't feel anything else, that night.
Later, in bed Martin cuddled up to her with his hand across her stomach. He nuzzled the back of her neck and said, "I do believe you Louisa."
Friday came around and once again they were off to see Dr Lewis in Wadebridge. As was normal he asked after Louisa's health and whether or not her iron deficiency was under control. "Yes, I've been using the supplements, and of course Martin has making sure I eat healthily."
Dr Lewis smiled at this. He knew what a stickler Martin was for patient care, and especially when he was married to the patient.
"Dr Lewis, I thought I felt the baby move earlier in the week, only it wasn't a kick, more like I was being raked by fingernails, inside." Louisa again demonstrated on her own hand what she'd felt.
"I've never heard of anything like that before, Louisa, I must say. Still, there's always a first time for everything." Dr Lewis seemed as surprised as Martin. We were going to do a scan today, so why don't you go and get ready?"
Louisa left the room and Dr Lewis looked quizzically at Martin. "Have you ever heard of anything like that?"
"No, but if Louisa said that's what it felt like, I don't doubt her. She is very truthful." Martin was adamant that she wouldn't lie to him.
"Well, let's go and see what stage the baby is at, shall we?"
Louisa was ready to be scanned when they entered the room. The nurse began the scan while everyone looked on with interest. The picture remained somewhat grainy, but the baby was beginning to definitely take a stronger shape. Nothing out of the ordinary was discerned, so that left Louisa feeling something of a fraud. They asked for, and obtained, their usual two photographs.
Back in the office Dr Lewis remarked that it probably wouldn't be long before she felt that first kick. Louisa's smile was somewhat forced, but she accepted what he said.
After booking another appointment in a month's time they left to go home.
"That was a bit of a let-down, Martin. I felt sure he would have confirmed a movement by the baby."
"If he'd not heard of anything like that, and I certainly haven't, then it was understandable." Martin was torn between defending his fellow medic, or his wife. "As I said, I believe what you told me."
Louisa shrugged and lapsed into silence on the way home.
The next morning it was Louisa who was up early and into the shower before Martin. His alarm had not gone off yet so she picked her clothes up and went into the nursery to dress. As she was doing so, she looked about and was pleased with the décor so far. Mentally she pictured the cot, chest of drawers and a book shelf/cupboard for toys. She thought about a colourful mobile suspended above the cot as something for Junior to watch whilst laid in the cot. She smiled at the thought and then finished dressing.
Downstairs in the kitchen she put the kettle on for some tea and began making her porridge. She heard Martin moving about and waited a few minutes before putting his espresso machine on.
As he came into the kitchen she said, "Morning! How are you this morning?" A big smile greeted him as well.
"Erm, fine. Good morning to you, too. You look full of the joys of spring. Feeling alright?"
"Yes, I'm feeling good. Full of energy in fact. I dressed in the nursery and I was looking at the room to see what else we need in there."
"Other than a cot, do we need much else?" enquired Martin.
"I was thinking of a chest of drawers for clothes/towels/nappies, and perhaps a cupboard for books and toys? A mobile to hang above the cot would be cute, don't you think?"
Martin looked clueless. "What's a mobile? Why would it need a whole cupboard for books and toys?"
Louisa took her porridge and sat at the table. "A mobile is a toy which is suspended from the ceiling. It is light, fancy coloured and moves slowly in the slightest breeze. It will give Junior something to focus on before s/he begins yelling for food, Martin."
Martin still looked baffled but was content to accept the explanation at face value. "What are you doing this morning?"
"I've decided to take those books back to the library to get some new ones, and then I'll do some grocery shopping. Is there anything I can get for you, while I'm at the shops?"
"We need some pepper and rosemary spices. Also, some tinned fruit, in juice mind, not syrup." He requested a new box of herbal teas as well.
"I'll see what the supermarket has. Do you fancy a run to Wadebridge later? We could have a look for a cot in the baby shop there?" Louisa looked at him and he could see that really, it was how she hoped to spend the afternoon.
"Yes, why not? You can show me what a mobile is, at any rate. We can get some new catalogues and we can decide what sort of furniture we want in the nursery." He entered into the spirit of the outing.
Louisa beamed at him. "That's great Martin."
He went out to the front door to pick up the paper and milk. On his way back he glanced at the headlines only to see more speculation on the future of the fishing industry in the wake of Brexit, if it ever happened! He sighed. He was tired of hearing the same old arguments trotted out again and again.
Sitting back down at the table he opened the paper and began to read. Louisa whisked his plate out from under him and began washing up.
Eventually it was time to go to work. He stood up, went over to Louisa and kissed her. He smiled down and told her "Take care, while you are out. Make sure you sit down if you feel tired." Then he said "I love you."
She smiled again and said, "Love you too." Deciding to strike while the iron was hot, she collected her books, bags and handbag before setting off to the library. She went the shortest way, but was still panting a bit by the time she got to the library bus. She returned her books and selected a few more to take home. There was a seat tucked into the side of the shelf so she sat down and rested for a quarter of an hour, or so.